Chinese Wine Vines Are Being Sent To Space To Mutate

ATTENTION. China is facing a bit of a woe that we can all sympathize with: Giant love for wine, lack of giant supply.

More specifically, China — which consumes more wine than any other country and now has more vineyards than France — faces big vino challenges due to the country's frigid temperatures and not-so-great soil, reports The Guardian.

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So the Asian country is turning to space instead, by stashing wine vines in its newest space lab, Tiangong-2, which just launched last week. Translated as "Heavenly Palace," the space lab took off with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir vines in tow, reports Decanter China, a bilingual wine publication.

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"Chinese scientists are hoping that space radiation may trigger mutation on a genetic level in these vines," reports Decanter China. "These genetic changes may help the vines to evolve new resistance to coldness, drought and viruses."

The vines came from Ningxia's Helan Mountain East region, which is renowned for quality wine in China.

Currently, wine producers in the Ningxia region bury vines in the winter to prevent spoiling from freezing temperatures (which does not sound fun). Two Chinese astronauts will check in on the vines in October, and after their stay in space, the vines will be studied against a control group.